Pittheus, King of Troezen

In Greek mythology, Pittheus was a son of Pelops, father of Aethra, and grandfather of Theseus. He was the King of Troezen, which he had named after his brother Troezen. When Aegeus asked Pittheus for advice as to how to understand an oracle he received in response to his inquiry whether or not he was going to ever have children, Pittheus got him drunk and Aegeus ended up spending the night with Aethra. Aethra had laid with Poseidon earlier that evening, so when Theseus was born he became Aegeus' stepson. After he had finished his labours, Heracles came to visit Pittheus. He laid his lion-skin down on a couch where it sat in a most life-like fashion. A little while later Theseus, who was seven years old at this time, came into the room with some of his schoolmates. When the other children saw the skin of the Nemean lion, they ran from it in terror, thinking that it was alive. However, Theseus remained in the room, grabbed a sword from a nearby guard, and attacked the lion-skin.